Staffing internal worker James Thompson sued his employer for $400,000 claiming staffing supplier Abacus Corp. discriminated against him because he is gay when it fired him from a job in Tennessee, according to court records.

Thompson was an on-site staffing coordinator for Abacus Corp. at Genco-Dell Supply Chain Solutions in Lebanon, Tenn., where he was responsible for interviewing, hiring and terminating temporary employees, according to court records. Thompson compensatory damages including back pay, front pay, and lost benefits in the amount of no less than $400,000. The lawsuit also seeks damages for emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, embarrassment, and humiliation.

 “It is Abacus Corporation policy not to comment on the facts relating to pending litigation,” David Hausner, general Counsel for Abacus Corporation, said in a statement. “Abacus firmly believes Mr. Thompson's allegations are without merit and will be proven to be mere fabrications. Abacus is extremely confident it will be fully exonerated in this matter.”

According to court records, an employee under Thompson’s supervision expressed derogatory remarks about the gay marriage ruling by the US Supreme Court. Thompson admonished the employee not to express such remarks, and the employee responded with an expletive, according to court documents. Thompson then asked the employee to wait where he was for further instructions from another manager. Thompson then contacted another staffing manager to end the employee’s assignment, but the employee walked away. The employee later admitted the facts to another staffing coordinator and understood the basis for his separation. However, the staffing provider questioned why risk management was not notified of the termination of the employee; Thompson claimed in court papers he was not aware of such an obligation on not trained on that duty

Thompson, who is gay, said he was just doing his job when he fired another worker for making discriminatory comments and then walking off the job, NewsChannel 9 reports. “[I was] fired for no reason,” Thompson told the news outlet. “I can’t even draw my unemployment because they won’t issue my termination letter.”